Amanda Feilding spent four years searching for a surgeon to perform the operation. Several agreed, then backed out at the last minute, fearing the consequences if anything went wrong.

Finally, she decided to do it herself.

After administering a local anesthetic, she took out an electric dentist's drill and bored a hole in her skull. A few hours and a liter of blood-loss later, a scarf wrapped around her head, she went to a party.